The Dalai Lama is
serious when he says he wants to retire.
But what kind of retirement
will it be?
“We have to wait till March 2011 when the Parliament is in
session to know the ‘nature’ and ‘content’ of what the Dalai Lama will
say in his address.
Until then, everything is speculation. However,
earlier too he had expressed a desire to retire,” Tibetan
parliament-in-exile spokesman Penpa Tsering told AsiaNews.
When asked how a spiritual leader could retire, Penpa
Tsering said, “The Dalai Lama cannot resign from his spiritual
leadership. He will always be our spiritual leader. The Dalai Lama is
also head of state and head of government; all important administrative
matters are reported to him. His counsel is always sought and adhered to
in relation to issues that matter to the Tibetan people. His
resignation, as reported in the media, will probably affect only the
administration. However, we must wait until March to hear his speech
before parliament.”
In the meantime, the Dalai Lama received an honorary
degree from an Indian college, Jamia Millia Islamia University.
The
citation reads, “Jamia Millia Islamia honors His Holiness the Dalai Lama
of Tibet, one of the most respected figures and teachers of our times,
who stands for rationality, humanism, non-violence, peace and universal
benevolence, with the degree of Doctor of Letters.”
In his acceptance speech, the Dalai Lama said, “The
20th century was a century of bloodshed, but nothing was achieved out of
that bloodshed. The 21st Century must be a century of peace and you
will shape it.”
What is more, for the spiritual leader, education should
go along with morals and ethics to achieve that aim.
In the meantime, in his Tibetan homeland, protests
continue, involving individuals or small groups, swiftly arrested by the
Chinese.
In recent days, a report has filtered out, saying that
a young Tibetan activist was sentenced to death by a Chinese court with
a two-year suspension.
The sentence was passed back in May by the Lhasa Intermediate People's Court but was not known until now.
The activist’s name is Sonam Tsering. He is originally from Derge Palyul County in the Tibetan region of Kham.
He was tried, convicted and sentenced to death for
playing a leading role in protests during the visit by the Olympic torch
to Lhasa in March 2008.
He was arrested soon after the Lhasa incident after a
reward was offered for his capture.
He was eventually able to escape but
was rearrested in October 2009.
At present, nothing is known about his whereabouts or his state of health.
SIC: AN/INT'L